Preparation process of black tea from yerba mate and the respective resulting product

ABSTRACT

The present invention abstract describes the steps of a process for preparing black tea and the respective resulting product, wherein, in the initial step of the proposed process for producing black tea, the young yerba mate leaves (shoots) are placed to withering for a certain time. Next, the already withered leaves are rolled; afterwards the fermentation is carried out, and after such fermentation, drying and segregation are performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following descriptive report for the invention relates to the preparation process of black tea made from yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis), and respective resulting product.

PRIOR ART

It is known that the food use of yerba mate is restricted to some regions of South America, where its largest consumption occurs in the form of mate, cultural habit. The present product has the potential to compete with consumers worldwide, as does Camellia sinensis green tea and black tea, and reach consumers that the mate would be unable to reach.

In order to use the yerba mate, various drying processes are known, for example, those described in PI 9504075-7 comprising a construction having a heat draft system through modular upper outlets with a butterfly valve on each chimney. Inside the oven, two belts are moved in series, in the opposite direction, one upper and one lower, and the belts are unloaded by means of load-shifters, consisting of a shaft with blades, rotating in the same direction as the belts. A deflector plate directs the yerba mate from the upper belt to the bottom one and to a discharge mouth steering the yerba mate from the lower belt to the output conveyor belt. The furnaces conduct the heat generated to the furnace by ducts that branch into two branches, where a distributor receives the yerba mate from a ribbon.

MU 7703102-4 describes an equipment for the processing of yerba mate in an industrial manner wherein it is powered by a vertical duct, feeds a sloping horizontal rail for the action of two rows of “S” cam pestles on the alternating rollers, and motor-drive sequentials to grind and create the gum on the yerba mate, such equipment may be made up of a single row of pestles, which in turn use wooden or steel sliding sleepers as a guide, so the pestles have free action to reach the bottom of the lower rail provided at their end a carrier thread that will take the yerba mate already in final form to usual bagging carriers.

PI 1002236-8 describes a fractionation and sapping process for yerba mate with hot water steam for eliminating toxicity. In short, it consists of passing the herb leaves o through a controlled and previously calculated temperature water steam bath, for the purpose of leaf preparation, for human consumption. The process is initiated by primary equipment with saturated steam injection, from an aquatubular boiler, interconnected to the secondary equipment that receives, through the injectors, the injection of reheated steam with preset pressure and temperature.

An equipment for sapping and drying of yerba mate leaves through hot water steam is described in MU 9001057-4, the purpose of which is to eliminate contamination of the yerba mate by PAHS (aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons) from the sapping and drying process of the yerba mate leaves, the equipment is composed by a primary processing module with herb feed inlet and a secondary processing module, with injecting nozzles distributed six on each side amounting twelve in total, from the aquatubular boiler by saturated steam pipe and reheated steam pipe interconnected to the secondary nozzles, distributed two on each side and one on the top.

DISCUSSION

To expand a consumption form of yerba mate means introducing into the people diet the antioxidants presented in such species, which are superior to Camellia sinensis.

From what is known from the prior art, direct contact of yerba mate leaves with gases generated in the furnace during the sapping stage can produce contamination of the raw material by aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons. These have high carcinogenic potential, which may remain in the final product intended for the consumer. It is also a problem, the absence of washing of leaves at the beginning of processing. Herb material may be contaminated by environmental pollutants, microorganisms and small invertebrates.

Thus, the invention has the object to solve the abovementioned problems by modifying the processing form by which the leaves are undergone. In the initial step of the proposed process for the production of black tea, the young leaves (buds) of yerba mate are withered for a certain time. Afterwards, the already withered leaves are rolled (rolling), followed by fermentation, after such fermentation the drying and segregation process takes place.

DESCRIPTION

The embodiment of the invention proposed in this report is achieved by describing the different steps required for carrying out the present ordinary application, such that it can be fully reproduced by appropriate technique, allowing full characterization of the claimed process function.

Based on the different described steps that express the best way or preferential way to carry out the process now devised, is based on the descriptive part of the report clarifying aspects that may have been understood, in order to clearly determine the protection claimed.

These operations may vary, provided that they do not depart from the initially claimed subject matter.

In this case, the products can be generated by different operations.

In the developed preparation process, the young leaves of yerba mate should go through the following steps:

-   -   withering the young leaves (buds) of yerba mate (withering).         Leaves should be dehydrated for 12 to 14 hours until to wither,         with the time required to remove 65 to 67% moisture. One of the         ways to do this is as follows: the buds are placed on         rectangular wooden sieves with bottom screens, supported by         tripods one meter high from the floor. Every frame surrounding         sieves from the floor to the tripod height will be closed with         wood (forming a tunnel) and a fan with hot air will be installed         at one end. The essential thing at this step is to wither the         leaves, and the mentioned method may be cited or changed;     -   afterwards, it is required to extract the juice from the leaves         and immediately start rolling the leaves for the first time for         20 minutes (first rolling). The essential thing at this step is         to roll the leaves, and the mentioned method may be cited or         changed;     -   afterwards, the oxidation or fermentation process is performed         (oxidation or fermentation), in which the leaves are placed in         taquara sieves near a fan for about one hour. The essential in         this step is to oxidize/ferment the leaves, and the mentioned         method may be cited or changed;     -   next, there is the drying step (drying) in oven at 110° C. for         about 24 minutes. The essential thing in this step is to dry the         leaves, and the mentioned method can be cited or changed, and;     -   the last step is segregation/sorting. After drying, larger/whole         leaf, broken leaf and particulate leaf are sorted. 

1. A preparation process of black tea from yerba mate and the respective resulting product, comprising the following steps: withering the young leaves (buds) of yerba mate, where the leaves should remain dehydrating for 12 to 14 hours, until to wither in order to remove 65 to 67% moisture, extracting the juice from the leaves and immediately to start rolling the leaves for the first time for 20 minutes, afterwards, the oxidation or fermentation process is performed in which the leaves are placed in sieves near a fan for about one hour, next, the oven drying step is performed at 110° C. for about 24 minutes, and, the last step is segregation/sorting which consists of separating the larger/whole leaf, broken leaf and particulate leaf,
 2. The resulting product according to claim 1, wherein the previous processing steps result in yerba mate-based black tea. 